A Travel Blog
Recently my husband took a short term job with Vermeer in Goes, Netherlands. This is a big adventure for us mid-western Americans! I have amended an old blog page I used a few years ago to keep friends and family updated about our life here. I will update periodically. Take care everyone! We miss you!
To read the most recent Blog, click below:
Food Highlight
2/9/25 – There seems to be a lot of Tuna in this area! But not necessarily the canned tuna we are used to. (Although the grocery stores have a lot of that too.) Restaurants usually have some sort of fresh tuna on their menu. This is a plate that Jeremy got as a main dish, but I have seen tuna tapas, poke bowls, pizza (believe it or not), pasta and soup. You name it, the Dutch have found a way to make it with tuna. Seems that way anyway.
Het Centrum in Middelburg, Netherlands.
A Dutch Discovery
2/9/25
Street Rules in the Centrum
I am still learning about this, but the Dutch have specific street rules that you have to pay attention to. They are well marked with signs, but the signs don’t always make sense to me, so I am not in the habit of looking at them.
This I have said before, but many streets in the Centrum don’t allow cars. I know that sounds strange, but the roads are very narrow, and very full of people, so they only allow cars on certain streets in the Centrum, or center of Goes. And when cars drive on the streets they are allowed on, it is still annoying, because you have to walk and drive your bike around them. They take up the whole street.
But there are also streets you can’t bike on. Some of the main shopping areas don’t allow bikes because there are so many people walking between stores while they are shopping. You have to look at the signs on the end of the streets to see if your bike is allowed. If a a policeman catches you biking on a no bike street, you get a hefty fine.
And some streets allow bikes only during high traffic hours. People can bike on these streets on their way to and from work or school, but not after 11am and before 5pm. Those times are reserved for the safety of shoppers. The signs clearly say, no biking between 11am and 5pm. But you have to search the sign to know this.
As far as I can tell, walkers are always allowed everywhere. So you don’t have to worry about signs if you are walking. You just have to look out for the crazy drivers and bikers. 🙂
I found this beauty outside the bakery close to my apartment. It is a covered motorized scooter. The side says “Live Your Dreams” in English, and there is a handicap sticker on the dash. Love it!
Recent Weather
2/9/25 – This time of year fluctuates between cold and warm. We have had some really nice sunny and warm days! Those days it gets to be around 40 or 50. But there are still cloudy and cold days too. Those cold days aren’t as cold as Iowa. It gets around 30 when it is cold. But we are making progress!